[Closed] Mini ride report - Bucket List Stirlingshire gravel loop

We're certainly not the first to have ridden this loop (it was recommended on this forum not so long ago) but it's a route that almost plots itself and I've been building up to it ever since I happened upon it a few months ago.

Basic loop is Callander - Killin - Lochan Breaclaich - Ardeonaig - Ardtalnaig - Glen Almond - Sma' Glen - Crieff - Comrie - Glen Artney - Callander.

https://www.strava.com/routes/22622180

I was joined by a regular road ride buddy and didnthurt of this parish, which was a massive improvement over my usual solo efforts.

For anyone who thinks they have the legs for the distance, I would HIGHLY recommend this route, I was on cloud 9 most of the way round as even the 'bad' bits (the boggy sections) were brilliant fun, and it was all largely unknown territory for me and I love seeing new bits of Scotland.

Not many pictures of the actual trails, so I've just screendumped some pics below, however for reference it breaks down like so:

Callander - Killin: Fast tarmac or very smooth/fine cycle path. Perfect warm up, finish with coffee in Killin.

Killin - Lochan Breaclaich: tarmac climb, broken in places. Good landrover track beyond lochan before a loose and exciting descent to top of Rob Roy Way descent

Rob Roy Way descent to Ardeonaig: Wet, indistinct in places, some bog. Short enough not to be annoying, almost all rideable if you don't mind churning through the squashy bits, some good fun to be had on rolling (if muddy) singletrack. Improves near bottom but briefly very rocky. Tubeless fatality number 1 here.

Ardeonaig - Ardtalnaig: Rolling tarmac with optional detour to an instantly recognisable Monty Python film set

Ardtalnaig - Glen Almond: Persistent steep tarmac then rolling landrover track, upper half of climb significantly more pleasant than bottom! After (locked) bothy some slightly squashier landrover track before Glen Almond track, still rideable and fun but with wet feet.

Glen Almond: Bliss! Slightly downhill, beautiful glen, fast track.

Sma' Glen - Comrie: Easy tarmac, optional detours that we were too tired to explore. Coffee and Pie stop in Crieff

Comrie - Callander: A great section and fitting finale. Starts with a gradual tarmac climb to the hillside above the Water of Ruchil. Descend, reclimb and hit base of gravel climb up and over to Callander. Climb looks worse than it is, culminates in fantastic rolling hill track that seems to have been smoothed relatively recently. Can be ridden fast if you have the legs. Final descent is a bit of a plummet down a narrow steep tarmac road.